why paint the shed floor? Pros/ cons/ comments for concrete

[desbromilow]

Hi,

My neighbour is building his shed and makign a big deal about painting the concrete floor - I grew up with bare concrete on the floors of my shed/s - so fail to see why it's such a big deal.

I'm in the planning/ design phase of my shed construction, so am curious about this...
My shed will be used for metalwork (plus woodwork), and will have heavy equipment moved through it at various times (car restoration, welding, etc)

I plan on having the plastic under the slab, and the edges of the slab covered by the cladding.

So... Why would I (or someone else) want to paint/coat the concrete floor? What advantages des it gain?
Any issues (I'd imagine it may make the floor slippery if wet/spills)

thanks,
Des

[I_wanna_Shed]

Hello Des.

I painted my shed floor earlier this year. Info and pics here: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f245/a...layout-163845/

I did mine because:

• Main reason: The cement surface was 'powdery'. Whenever I swept the floors I would just kick up fine concrete dust which would get into more places that the saw dust would. Painting it fixed this problem, and it is 100 times easier and quicker to keep the floor clean.
• It allows spills such as oils to be wiped off easily without marking the floor.
• I think it may help in reflecting light a bit more around the shed.
• It looks better

It wasn't too expensive. I used a product from Bondcrete (details in my link). Very easy to put down, and not too expensive.

The Bondcrete product has a very fine grit in it, and its actually not too slippery when its wet.

I'm not sure how any painted surface will stand up to welding splatter etc, so I'll let some metal working folk comment on it for that.

Nathan.

[BobL]

I think it is a bit of personal thing, how clean an operation you want to run, and how big the shed is.

Plain concrete generates a bit of dust and painting reduces the release of this dust so that is a small benefit. There's also some degree of protection from staining and clean ups of spills are easier so perhaps it is useful around machines that tend to drop oil or grease.

I painted my floor and after two years the grinding dust and metal swarf has effectively stripped the paint off the floor in the walkways of the metal work end of the shed although at some stage I might even repaint that section of the floor. I really need to get some rubber mats in front of my lathe but they would then be a bit close to my welding station and that would be a problem.

I attach 3 mm thick polyethylene sheet to the feet or undersides of my benches and machines so they skid around on the paint without stripping it off. I was hoping that dog poop would be easier to remove from the painted floor than bare concrete but that is not the case.

I haven't notice a problem with it being slippery when wet but if that is a worry there are nonslip varieties.

On balance I would do it again especially in the wood work areas

[OldGrain]

Hi Des.I rent an older house with a single double length garage which was/is carpeted. Spoilt i know! If it were mine i certainly would paint the floor either with Bondcrete or similar as it makes life so much easier.Vacuming the carpet is a real pain sometimes particularly if i`ve been drilling metal. Wood dust not so bad but still has to be done.I have a full length awning attached with concrete floor & that`s as easy as to keep clean.That`s where i tend to do my grinding/welding & soon will become where wood work projects will be undertaken. gordon

[tdrumnut]

I painted my shed floor 18 or so months ago just using White Knight paving paint. I cleaned the surface with hydrachloric acid which also acted a an etch of sorts which aids in the bonding process. All my woodworking machinery are on castors and the paint is still excellent, not like new but still excellent. Cleaning up is now a breeze and because of that gets done a lot more often. I now wouldn't have a shed with out the floor being painted.

[Elill]

This is on my to do list (looks good, easier to clean). What I had planned was:

- Have the floor levelled with a levelling compound
- Apply a coating

I would google "garage floor coatings" before deciding on paint, there are a number of them out there, including various polyurethane type things. The most practical for me would be high gloss white as it'd be a nice surface for my other hobby (photography)

[Pac man]

The painted garage floor was done as a new house build. Grey. Generally ok for sweeping a clean up. Very slippery when covered with dust, hand plane shavings etc.

If you are not putting vehicles in the space and have the money i would put a wooden floor down. Kinder on handtools and feet / joints.

[KBs PensNmore]

I was hoping that dog poop would be easier to remove from the painted floor than bare concrete but that is not the case.

Keep the dog out of the shed. Isn't it house trained!!!!!!
Kryn

[BobL]

Keep the dog out of the shed. Isn't it house trained!!!!!!
Kryn

Dog is house trained but obviously not shed trained. It thinks the shed belongs to it - my mate suggested I pee in a few places to establish territory!

[Andy Mac]

Before I left the uni the WH&S um... people... jumped on us in theatre and vis arts, and one of their big concerns was the state of the concrete floor in the workshops. Years of paint splashes and drops built up, plus traffic and use had worn away whatever coating was there. Somehow a H&S nightmare. So we were directed to empty the workshops completely, polish the floors to cut through the accumulation, using a terrazzo machine, then have painters come through with concrete paint. Done, looked pretty, but hopelessly slippery, DANGEROUSLY so!! I could stand at the tablesaw (with two port dust extraction) and feed in a plywood sheet only to find myself slipping backwards on the floor with the little dust that landed there! No kidding.
I reckon the grotty old floor was much better!! I certainly did my best to return it to the original state before I left theatre And I won't paint my workshop floor at home.

Cheers

[hp8]

My preference is for concrete with an aplication of bondcrete. Painted floors always wear and can look shabby only after a short time depending on the punishment they receive

[Robson Valley]

There has to be a good argument to make the floor surface appropriate for the general usage. My shop floor is very nicely finished bare concrete. That's just a little too dark if I drop small parts in some household repair. Perfect for sweeping up wood carving mess. Kiss of death for good wood carving tool edges.

I'd like to have an off-white shop floor. But, I can't se that it could be 10X better than what I have now.

"Art" welder friend. Very talented. Her shop floor is 4" fine sand.

Fiberglas shop. Lots of parts blown into molds with a chopper gun. If you have never watched one of those things running, the flying gobs of over spray(?) are a sight to behold. Nobody blinks. The floor is 6" sand. They let the waste set up and sweep up with a garden rake.

[DSEL74]

I think it depends on what finish you have on the concrete also to start with, is it a standard finish or polished? When I used to work in store design most of the floors were finished with slip resistant epoxies. Basically a epoxy varying durability with different grades of grit added.


I'm curious those that do paint the floors what color have you gone with?????????

[Sir Stinkalot]

Just before we settled on this house I arranged with the previous owner to get in to paint the 6mx6m garage floor. He thought it a little odd, but if the sale fell through at least he would have a nice looking garage floor.

The concrete was in good condition and only a few years old - it was not a highly polished concrete finish, nor a heavy broom finish, it was just right!

I ended up using White Knight paving paint from Bunnings. 10L allowed for two or three coats and I still have some left over. I think all up it was less than $200 to do the entire job. Colour is "crocs cavern" from memory - a sort of light green/grey colour.

I found after applying the paint the room felt lighter, felt more compete and more comfortable to be in (sounds silly but I find it easier to be motivated in a positive feeling space - perhaps it is the architect in me coming out). I cant say that I have noticed any difference in the grip level and haven't had any issues to date. I would be happy to do it again.

Cheers

Stinky.

Edit: Colour can be seen in this photo - but a bit dirty.

IMG_1309.jpg

[BobL]

I'm curious those that do paint the floors what color have you gone with?????????

The photo below shows one half on my shed after the floor was painted.
The far end is my metal working end and is insulated in rock wool and lined in miniorb - the rest is insulated in air-cell and gyprocked.

Although it looks quite dark, it is actually a mid-blue and constant walking on it has turned it a lighter colour.
I had nothing to do with the colour choice - that was the one thing SWMBO wanted to have a say in - she uses one of the benches in the shed for her gemstone and glass jewellery stuff.